Fowzia seeks Aafia freedom on USA Independence Day
Karachi, July 4: Aafia Movement Pakistan Leader Dr Fowzia Siddiqui here Thursday appealed the US President Barack Hussein Obama to release Pakistani mother Dr Aafia Siddiqui on the occasion of the Independence Day of United States of America.
Independence Day is annually celebrated on July 4 and is often known as "the Fourth of July". It is the anniversary of the publication of the declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1776. Patriotic displays and family events are organized throughout the United States. The celebrations have deep roots in the American tradition of political freedom.
Fowzia said when the people of the US are celebrating their independence an innocent Pakistani mother is behind the bars on flimsy charges. This woman was convicted for a crime she never committed, she said, adding the continued incarceration of Aafia is harming the image of the US and its people in Pakistan and other countries of the Muslim world. She said the release of Aafia would improve the image of the US as a just and equity based society, as envisioned by the founding fathers of America.
She said we have no malice feelings towards the US and its people. “We just want reunion of Aafia with her children and her ailing mother.” She said the US has a long history of freeing of prisoners and the freedom of Aafia would be a welcome addition to this positive tradition of Americans. She said the release of Aafia would give the people of Pakistan a feeling that the US is their friend and well-wisher nation.
Fowzia said Dr Aafia is a Pakistani citizen and should have been tried in her country. She said now Aafia has already spent more than 10 years in the US custody and it is high time that she is released and repatriated to Pakistan as a gesture of goodwill and generosity towards the people of Pakistan on the auspicious occasion of the US Independence Day.
She said the whereabouts of the third missing children of Aafia, Salman, are still not known. The governments of the US and Pakistan should also tell the miserable family about the fate of the missing minor.
Issued by Aafia Movement.
